Tube flowmeters measure liquid or gas pressure in pipes. Open channel flowmeters are used for non-hazardous liquids, orifices use a disc to restrict fluid flow, venturi tubes create a bottleneck for more accurate measurement, and pitot tubes measure gas pressure. More complex forms exist.
A tube flowmeter measures the pressure of the flow of liquids or gases through a tube or pipe. These gauges are used in industrial settings to make sure that various devices are receiving a proper amount and pressure of various fluids. There are many different types of flow meters. The most common types will be discussed here.
Using an open channel flowmeter is the most common and easiest way to measure the flow of non-hazardous liquids. When liquids shoot out of a pipe, the distance they are shot into a vessel can be used to determine the amount of pressure in the pipe. These measurements can be used to adjust the liquid pressure. If the fluid a person wishes to measure is in the form of a gas, however, or if exposure to air causes it to be converted into a gas or other element, these meters are inaccurate and another method will need to be used.
Orifices can solve this problem. Another form of tube flowmeter, an orifice plate uses a small disc with a hole to restrict the flow of a fluid through a tube. This causes a build up of pressure just before the area of the pipe where the plate is installed. A device measures the pressure here and shortly after the plate where the fluid pressure has dropped and uses these two numbers to determine the pressure inside the tube.
Using an orifice is a form of accurate measurement, but the device itself can cause a slight change in pressure. If slight changes affect the purpose of the measurement, a venturi tube flowmeter can give a more accurate idea of the pressure in a pipe without affecting the pressure as much. These gauges do this by creating a bottleneck that is not as small as the hole in the orifice plate and is longer, so the pressure stays more constant. Pressure is measured before this bottleneck and at its narrowest point for best results.
A flow nozzle is similar to a venturi tube flow meter. It is inserted into a tube and measures the pressure from the center of the bottle neck and before it. The flow nozzles, however, aren’t as large or sensitive as venturis.
Pitot tube is a type of tube flowmeter mainly used to measure gas pressure. It consists of a tube that is placed inside the tube in which the gas flows. The holes on one side of the tube face the gas flow, while those on the other side face the opposite direction. The pressure difference from these series of holes is used to calculate the gas flow rate.
These are just the basic tube flowmeters used for scientific and industrial purposes. There are more complex forms. Most of them are based on the principle of creating a small change in pressure to determine how strong it is.
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